Bright colors, trendy pieces and low prices lure shoppers out of the cold and into the fast fashion temples up and down Michigan Avenue.

Last month, Uniqlo, the wildly popular Japanese casual fashion retailer, opened its first store in the Midwest, joining the ranks of affordable fashion stores like Forever 21, H&M and Zara on the Magnificent Mile. But as the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear this week, there can be drawbacks to the thrill of finding that stylish item of clothing, fashion experts warn.

"It comes back to how delightfully cheap everything is," said Abigail Glaum-Lathbury, assistant professor of fashion design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. "If something is $5 there's no downside, but that is a problem on another level. That kind of mentality, that's not how we treat people and our friends and that's not how we should treat the environment and our limited resources, especially in the face of global warming."

Dieter Kirkwood, assistant professor of fashion studies at Columbia College Chicago said fast fashion — a category that targets young buyers by matching the latest trends with low-priced apparel — is successful because of consumers' perception of fashion.

"I think in general today, society has a very warped sense of the things they purchase and the objects they surround themselves with as it relates to cost," Kirkwood said. "Bad practices have depressed the prices, and people start to value the items based on the prices rather than the production of the object itself."

Julie Kay, 24, of Los Angeles, who was shopping Tuesday on Michigan Avenue, said she shops fast fashion because it's cheap, and she tries not to think about the ramifications.

"Ethically, it's questionable, but all you have to do is not talk about it, and it doesn't really bother you," Kay said. "I don't think you can be mad at fast fashion for taking down a lot of haute couture ideas and bringing them to the masses and giving people an accessible way to be creative. It's good and bad."

That's when they hope to lure customers with discounts and refreshments in an unhurried atmosphere as...

While big box and department stores gear up for the onslaught of holiday shoppers looking for a good deal on Black Friday, local retailers are hoping to be jam-packed with customers on Saturday.

That's when they hope to lure customers with discounts and refreshments in an unhurried atmosphere as...

(Karen Caffarini)

Taylor Denman, 19, of Wisconsin, who was shopping for tops, said she is not concerned about the ethics of her clothes.

"Honestly, I don't think about it," Denman said. "It's such a common thing that people just fall into, and if people were more aware about issues like that then there would probably be changes. If people care about it they would (talk about it)."

Glaum-Lathbury argued that buying luxury clothing that is more expensive and high quality is not only environmentally friendly, but the ethical thing to do. She cited poor working conditions in high production factories overseas and excess waste from throwing away poorly constructed clothes from fast fashion stores.

"At the university, we really, really strive to make clothing that is innovative and meaningful, that is contributing in some way, that is artful, that values craft and quality and is ethical," Glaum-Lathbury said. "The trouble I see with H&M is whoever is up against a T-shirt that costs $1.90 is never going to win that fight."

Stories about low pay and appalling working conditions for garment workers are common. In June, police in Bangladesh charged 42 people with murder in the 2013 collapse of a garment factory building that killed more than 1,100 people, the country's deadliest industrial accident. Bangladesh has the second largest garment export industry in the world.

In addition to supporting questionable labor practices, Glaum-Lathbury said the average American throws away 63 pounds of clothing in a year — more than 11 million tons nationwide.

"It's disgusting," Glaum-Lathbury said. "The reason we're throwing it away is we're putting it in the wash once and throwing it away because your clothes are falling apart."

Katie Schuppler, CEO at KS Style Consulting, said that while she typically takes clients to boutiques in the Chicagoland area to teach them about ethically made clothing, their decision still often comes down to price.

"A lot of my clients are 18- to 25-year-olds who don't have a lot of money, and they need fast fashion because for their whole entire wardrobe they only have $500 to spend," Schuppler said.

Denman said she shops at Forever 21 for the prices. "It's cheap," she said. "I needed essentials."

Considered fast fashion by many because of its low prices and quickness to market, Uniqlo could help raise the bar for fast fashion, Kirkwood said.

"Uniqlo steps it up a little bit," Kirkwood said. "They're not a model citizen against all the others, but they would be a prime example."

Schuppler also placed Uniqlo a rung above H&M, which she categorized as half fast fashion, and Forever 21, which she described as all fast fashion. "Uniqlo is good for basics, and it is fast fashion in the sense that it is cheaper and cheaper made, but they have a lot of stuff that could be staple pieces or basics for your wardrobe so that's not really fast fashion."

Justin Kerr, chief merchandising officer and head of marketing for Uniqlo USA, said the company does not identify as fast fashion but rather "lifewear."

"Our goal is to improve people's lives through clothing, and being able to offer the best quality at the best possible prices is our obsession," Kerr said.

Kerr emphasized the company's use of supima cotton, known for higher quality, and its relationship with California farmers who produce that variety of cotton, as well as years devoted to the development of a specialty fabric that didn't necessarily follow trends.

Forever 21 and H&M declined to comment.

Kirkwood said there is hope for the fashion industry if consumers take pointers from the slow food movement, which has increased the popularity of farmers markets and locally grown food. But consumers need to be the ones to create the change, he said.

"The DIY (do-it-yourself) and maker culture is certainly on the rise, and the idea that we can dictate what we wear is growing," Kirkwood said. "The natural flow is that people will start to say, 'I can dictate how I want my clothes made and where I want them made.'"

Kirkwood argued that education is key and when consumers start realizing the "dark sides of the fashion they consume," they will demand better quality clothing made ethically.

"You have makeup that comes from the Wal-Mart or the CVS and you have the makeup from MAC (Cosmetics), and clearly there's such a price difference that there's a quality difference, so there's better quality just because people who wear makeup can recognize that quality difference," Kirkwood said. "The problem with fashion is that people don't understand what quality is. You could put a Jil Sander dress next to an H&M dress, and I don't know if they would know the difference."

Schuppler said shoppers should ask themselves the reasons behind their shopping choices.

"Think about where you're shopping, think about who you're shopping for and think about the purpose of what you're shopping for," Schuppler said. "Is this ethical? Is this a good idea? Is this what I want out of the shopping trip? If it's fashion, maybe go there, but if it's a staple, go somewhere else. Questions are a good way to get people thinking about it."

Glaum-Lathbury challenged shoppers to "invest in their self-image."

"When we put on a trend or a fad, which literally stands for 'For A Day,' does that actually speak to you or is there some other thing that's going on there," Glaum-Lathbury said. "If I'm putting something on for two days, does that actually speak to my self-image? I don't think so. I would argue that people should invest in fewer clothing pieces that are better and high quality and find something that is meaningful to you, whether that be about your self-image or comfort."

A version of this article appeared in print on November 27, 2015, in the News section of the Chicago Tribune with the headline "Getting up to speed on fast fashion buying - Ethical questions rise in the push for cute, cheap clothes" —
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